Railway-car and like vehicle



J. WESTGAIE AND C. E. H. HAWKEN.

RAILWAY CAR AND LIKE VEHICLE.

vAPPLICATION min mma. 1919.

J. WESTGATE AND C. E. H. HAWKEN.

.RAILWAY CAR AND LIKE VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. I8. 1919.

Patented July 12, 1921.

s sHEETs-SH'EET 2.

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I. WESTGAIE AND C. E. H. HAWKEN.

RAILWAY CAR AND LIKE VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I8, I9I9.

Patented July 12;

I. WESTGATE AND C. E. H. HAWKEN.

RAILWAY CAR AND LIKE VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I8, IQIQ.

Patented July 12, 192,1.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

I. WESTGATE AND C. E. H..HAWKEN.

RAILWAY CAR AND LIKE'VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 18| I9I9.

Patented July 12, 1921.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

J. WESTGATE AND C. E. H. HAWKEN. RAILWAY CAR AND LIKE VEHICLE. APPLICATION man JAN. 1e. |919.

1,384,500, Patented July 12, 1921.

6 SHEETSSHEET 6.

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UNITEDA STATES JOHN wnsfrefn'rn, onnnnvrsrnen, AND crrAnLns n. n.

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PATENT OFFICE.

HAWKEN, OF 'WALLASEY,

RAILWAY-CAR AND LIKE VEHICLE. 4

Specncaton of Letters Patent.

Patented July 12, 1921.

Application filed January 18, 1919. Serial No. 271,881;

to Seli discharging hopper cars and vice versa, so as to render them suitable :tor car-v rying granular or other Amaterial in bulk (such as for example coal, salt or grain), or for carrying other freight such as packages or bales of merchandise. The advantages of such vehicles are that they will carry one class olf merchandise inone direction and another class in the other direction, thus et# i'ecting a Very great saving in the number of `vehicles employed which is very important desideratum.

Prior to this invention, .it has been proposed to provide this kind of vehicle with floor doors so hinged that they could be turned upward totake up a perpendicular position but leavean open space through which the bulk material could leak out, if the side doors Awere accidentally or mischievously lett open.

The present invention has been more especially designed to avoid this dijiliculty 'while providing a vehicle in which the entire interior space is made available for the transport of bulk material.

This invention will be understood from the following description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l shows alongitudinal elevation of the vehicle partly in section.`

Fig. 2 shows a transverse section ofthe vehicle. y Y

Fig. -3 in plan one construction otconvertible vehicle or car `made according to this invention.

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the arrangement of the overlapping edges -for the `floor doors. y

Fig. 5 shows in longitudinal section, and

Fig. ,V6 in crossV section a construction of convertible covered car.

Fig. 7 vshows in front elevation the apparatus for loading the car with bulk material at the starting station. Y

Fig. 8` is a sectional plan view of a convertible car showing the arrangement when.

onl one hopper is provided.

referring lirst to Figs. l, 2 and 3, the car comprisesl a body having discharging or loading doors l atthe sides 2 and formed with a hoppered bottom 34 whose outlets et are controlled by sliding valves 5 so as to discharge the load downward. In the eX- ample shown vthere are three independent hoppers 3V each having four sides converging toward the central outlet 4land the undert'rame is constructed with transom bars 6 and a longitudinal central bar 7 in addition y to the usual side sillsS and end sills 9. The

tour downwardly extending sides of each hopper which converge toward the center outlet 4L are suspended from the membersof the underframe and are additionally supported and strengthened by means `of the members l1, and fillets or sill members 12 triangularin cross section are insertedbetween the top of thehoppers and the car sides which form an upward `extension or prolongation of the former. The car is converted from a hopper bottom car into a flat bottom one by means of a supplemental floor composed oi pairs ot floor doors 13 eX tendingthe full length `of the vehicle body and hingedinside the body at opposite sides by the strap hinges 14; whose hinge pins are shownat 15.` These floor doors are somade and arranged that when `raised to make the vehicle available for bulkmateriahthey ylie substantially perpendicular against the vehicle sides `and. extend to the top of the Side openings in the vehicle bodyso as to completely close the said openings Vand prevent leakage o'l .bulk materialy therethrough. These floor doors however can be `closed down flat to forma flat bottomed car to carry merchandise which does not require to Vbe discharged J through the hopper bottom, in which position they rest` on the underframe with their meeting edges 16 on the longitudinal bar 7` so asto :form a close cover for the hoppers.` When these doors are lifted into an upstanding position to lie against ythe sides, then `the. entire interior spaceot the car is available for the transportation of grain or other material in bulk, fastening devices such as 17 being provided to hold them in that position. These floor doors when raised effectively close the side openings in the car body even should the side doors be mischievously opened into the position shown at '1X wliilethe fillets or sill members 12 close any open space below the doors through which the bulk material could leak out. lf the sides are higher (or the body narrower) than that shown then the meeting. edges of these doors 13 are made with rabbets 18 in such manner as to overlap and lie coincident with one another when in the closed position as shown in Fig. 4. This insuresthat'the doors'when raised shall reach to the top of the sides.

Thev opening at the bottom of each Ahopper is normally'closed by a sliding plate or valve 5 which is adapted to be opened in a transverse Vdirection by a hand wheel 19 secured to spindle 20 having a pinion 21vwhich vgears into a toothed rack 22 on the door, this mechanism being external to the vehicle. The spindle is journaled in bearings 23 cast on the plates 24E whichare secured to the discharge opening i ot the hopper in such mam ner that a space or way is left between, for the valve to slide in when the liaiid-wheel 19 is operated. `By this means delivery of ma Y terial through each discharge opening can be regulated. The valve 5 is held locked in the position into which it has been set, by a pin 26 passed through a hole in the bracket 23 and wheel'19. VThe floor doors can Vbe raised or lowered by. hand in which case avpaii' oi floor doors are preferably provided in connection with each hopper, or they can be raised or lowered'by winding gear as will be described presently in which case there is one pair ot doors-solidly, extending the full s greaterheight as shown in Figs. 5 and G,"

length of the car. 4 i

lhen the invention is applied to a covered goods car the sides of which extend to a each floor door27 which is made of sheet metal, extends in opposite `directions from their hinges acrossthe entire width of the body inside'when closed lto form a vclose cover for the hoppers 3 and lie over one`another. These ioor doors 27 when inthe raised position eiectively close the side openingsin the car body should the sidedoors (not shown) be mischievously opened.V To the horizontal edge 28 of one door opposite to the hinge 29' andat both ends, are irmly secured chains 30 which are guided upward by the sheaves 31 (securedto the body) and then downward to the guide sheaves 324 and .drums 33 on the longitudinal shaft 34 which is journaled in the brackets 25. This shaft is operated by handwheel 35 and worm" 36 which gears with the wormwheel 37 on the said shaft. *Y The other-door 27 isoperated in 1 a similar way, one door being raised or lowered first by the handwheel 35 at one side of theV car, and then the other door by the hand-wheel 35 at the other side of the car. The covered car is loadedwith packages of merchandise through side doors as usual, but when converted into a hopper car it is loaded with bulk materialthrough openings in the roof which openings can be closedby sliding doors 38. It will thus be seen that when the floor doors lie flat, they cover the hoppers 3 below and form Va door upon which the iner chandise or packages rest, Vand leave the doors at the sides quite lfree for loading or discharging-freight but when the floor doors are-'raisedon their hinges into the upright position, the hoppers 3 `forni therbottom ot the car which can then be lilled with material in' bulk, such material being unloaded by opening the valves 5 so as to discharge downward. A convenient method et loadingthe car with bulk material without hand ma: nipulation is shown in Fig. 7, in which the loading is edected 'from storage bins 40 by swiveling chutes 39 and a convenient method of discharging the car is to place the wagon over an endless beltk 'conveyer which is Verected between the rails of the track, .this conveyer being adapted to deliver the `bulk material to an elevator or weigher for delivery as required. In this wayy a car can be used for many-varieties of merchandise that have to be conveyed by rail from place to place.

' When only one hopper is provided at midlength of the vehicle, then the licor doors 13 extend over the open space abovev the said hopper so as to cover the same -as shown in F ig. S'when the vehicleis. to be used for carrying packages or bales of merchandise. lllhen however the doors 13 are raisedl on their hinges, they takeup a substantially upright position between the liXed bars 42 Y which are located Aon the inside of the car at each side of the door opening, thus preventing thebulk materialescaping through the side openings should the ordinarydisoharge doors 1 beleft open. By tl s invention a car can be used on the outward journeyfor one description` of freight (for Vinstance grain in bulk) and on the return journey for another kind of'merchandise thus utilizing rolling stock to the fullest possible extent, and avoiding having Vto waste power in hauling 'of empty cars. l/Ve declare that what we claim is v1. In a railway freight-car or liker vehicle ot' the type convertible from a fiati into a hopper-bottom vehicle, the combination with the vehicle sides, the side-sills, and hopper bottom, oil? triangular fillets insertedbetween the top of the lioppers and the vehi-V lcle sides, anda supplemental door forl said vehicle comprising ai number of floor doors, each of which is pivotally connected to a iillet, whereby to close any space between the lower edge of the floor doors when raised and the top of the hoppers.

2. In a railway freight-ear or like vehicle of the type convertible from a 'flat into a hoppenhottom Vehicle, the combination with the vehicle sides, the side-sills and hopper bottoni, of strengthening angle-pieces between the top of the hoppers and the side sills, triangular illets between the top ot,

the hoppers and the vehicle sides, and a supplementary iioor for said vehicle coinprising a number of lioor doors hinged to the fillets.

3. In a. railway freight-ear oi' like Vehiele of the type convertible from a lat to a hopper-bottom Vehicle, the combination with the vehicle sides. side-sills and hopper bottom, of hinged floor doors extending across the vehicle in opposite directions from the hinges and lying one on top of tlie other when in the closed position, and means for raising and lowering said doors comprising a longitudinal shaft journaled at each side of the vehicle, winding drums at the ends of each sha-ft, chains passing over guide sheaves at the upper part of the vehicle and secured at one end to the edges o" the re speetive floor doors and at the other end to the drums, and hand-wheels and Worm-gearing for operating said longitudinal shafts.

In Witness whereof we have hereunto signed our naines this 21st day of December, 1918, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN WESTGATE. CHAS. E. H. HAVVKEN. Titnesses GAYNOR MARGARET GRIFFITH, JAMES E. BRoWNBILL. 

